BRANSON/LAKES AREA TOURISM ISSUES MARKETING RFP

Purpose:

The District will negotiate a contract with one firm to manage all necessary destination marketing functions on behalf of the District, including, but not limited to:

• Strategic planning;
• Brand management;
• Creative content development;
• Primary and secondary research and analysis;
• Print and broadcast advertising;
• Publicity, public relations, including media relations, and familiarization tours, with itinerary planning and support;
• Digital marketing, including daily website maintenance; social media presence, content development, and monitoring;
• Seasonal tourism development;
• Corporate partnerships and promotions;
• Leisure group, meeting and convention sales, including trade show representation;
• Direct marketing, including an annual vacation guide and other publication productions;
• Fulfillment, including a call center, materials distribution and online consumer inquiry response capabilities; and
• Stakeholder communications, engagement and involvement, both overall and in all of the necessary functions

Research-based data-driven marketing functions and activities must collectively produce an integrated and comprehensive marketing plan for the economic benefit of the District to achieve the following objectives:

1. Grow annual visitation to the District.
2. Increase visitor spending within the District.
3. Maximize the impact of marketing dollars invested.

Background:

The Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District (District) Board of Directors (Board) is responsible for promoting visitation to the District in order to enhance the economic health of the District. The Board is dedicated to growing visitation by attracting an ever-increasing share of the approximately 104 million Americans who live within a day’s drive of the District, as well as maintaining a national presence. The Board is seeking one Destination Marketing Management Organization to develop, direct, implement and measure destination marketing efforts on behalf of the District.

The selected firm will utilize funds allocated annually from the District’s 1% sales tax (RSMo Sec. 67.1950 – 67.1979). The Board will negotiate a five-year contract with the organization which provides evidence it is the best equipped and qualified to manage an integrated destination marketing plan and address all the requirements of this RFQ, as determined by the Board in its sole discretion

Scope of Work:

The selected firm is expected to provide all services customarily performed by a modern, professional, full-service destination marketing organization. Responding firms must demonstrate a broad understanding of, and significant experience in, destination marketing and address how they will administer and manage an integrated destination marketing plan.

Responding firms must also show their ability to develop and execute their plan in a way that will assure maximization of the District’s investment of tourism tax dollars. Because strategies, creative and brand management can be considered subjectively, responding firms are advised to provide data which specifically demonstrates successful goal attainment in past performance with respect to the requirements of this RFQ.

Due Date:

August 16, 2019

Address:

Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District

176 Corporate Place, Branson, MO 65616

Agencies worth considering include Makovsky PR and Alison Brod PR.